Dr Peter Hindle MBE has been appointed as senior vice-president of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in charge of sustainable habitat.

As senior vice-president, Mr Hindle will lead the implementation of Saint-Gobain’s strategic priorities for sustainable habitat, which include the deployment of global policies around key topics: eco-innovation (and product stewardship), waste management (and recycling) and labelling schemes (including energy performance declarations). This will build upon and utilise Mr Hindle’s experience of the positive deployment of the strategy he has led within the UK, Ireland and South African delegation.

Mr Hindle will continue in the role of general delegate in the UK, Ireland and South Africa, where he leads a multi-national enterprise spanning over 30 businesses involved in the construction industry, employing 16,750 people across more than 1,000 sites contributing 10% of Saint-Gobain’s global turnover. He will also now formally become chairman of all businesses within the UK, Ireland and South Africa.

These new appointments will take effect from 1 September 2013.

Mr Hindle said: “It’s a great honour to be appointed senior vice-president of the Group and to take on the challenge of leading the implementation of the Group’s strategic priority of sustainable habitat. After 43 years in the builders’ merchants industry, this is a new chapter and a new challenge. It has been a great pleasure to lead Saint-Gobain Building Distribution UK and Ireland over the last 10 years, seeing it grow and thrive. I would like to take the opportunity to say a special thanks to the employees of distribution and wish them every success for the future.”

Mr Hindle will be succeeded by Mark Rayfield, vice-president of Certain Teed, within the Construction Products Sector in North America, who will take up the position of chief executive of Saint-Gobain Building Distribution UK & Ireland from 1 September.